Several issues raised last night, Construction Company and D.O.T. met with residents

Concerns over emergency fire and ambulance access; anticipated heavy use of a local short-cut and farm access to Thief River Falls North and Northwest side.

Those were just some of the issues raised last night, as Spruce Valley Construction and the State Department of Transportation met with residents concerned over the closing of 8th Street for a huge construction project, beginning next week.

The 25 construction day project is scheduled to get underway May 29th, with First Ward Alderman Curt Howe urging MnDOT to meet with CP Rail officials to talk about mitigating traffic concerns.

The project is complicated by the near absolute isolation of some Northeast Side Neighborhoods and an accompanying project on First Street, that will limit two lane traffic to one side or the other of the double-lanes as resurfacing is completed.

Shawn Groven, with MnDOT, says local law enforcement will assist with traffic control as the project is initiated next week, with a treatment on gravel portions of a sure to be traveled local route, and promises to maintain access at Dewey and Reserve throughout the project, which will include closure of 8th Street from Highway #32 to the bridge, then closure of Highway #1 from the bridge to the County Road adjacent to the MEC Ball Fields.

In preparation for the project; youth hockey and baseball programs have been moved to Franklin Middle School and Annie Park for the summer. High School and Adult Programs will have to tough out the detour to the MEC Center for much of the summer.

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